You

Dear You,

Yes, you.

The one standing in the mirror,

Fixing your lipstick,

Fixating on your twist-out.

How many times have you allowed that makeup brush paint over the real you

Paint a picture so beautiful

A picture without blemishes

Without creases

Without uninvited dark circles coveting your eyes

Those same dark circles,

Ushering the way down the tunnels that lead to your soul

The part of you that you keep tucked away

Concealed by concealer two shades lighter than your own flesh

Yes, you.

When will you let her out?

Release her from the grips of Fenty Foundation and fluff

Liberate the limitations that you have used as restraints for the natural beauty that hides within

What lies beneath?

Mascara tears trickle like molasses

Scratching the surface of built up paint each time a tear escapes and glides down your cheek,

Erasing strokes of ingenious applications of MAC products.

When will you serve her the freedom papers that she’s been longing for?

Unshackling her from the pressures of our overbearingly aesthetic society

A society that feeds the flesh and not the spirit

Catering to the masses as the lone individuals are malnourished.

Fueling the foolish who believe a flower filter will flush out the real

Yes, you.

The time is here

Not there, but here

Not when, but now

Here and now, the time has come

Be you

Be – u

Be – autiful

Love,

You